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By Steve Mollman
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Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, on Saturday criticized the language recently used by White House border czar Tom Homan to describe the tense situation in Minneapolis where federal agents have clashed with protestors over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
Newsweek reached out to Homan via email to the DHS on Saturday morning and will update this article with any response.
Why It Matters
After the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti last weekend by federal agents during a protest in Minneapolis, President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that he would send Homan to Minnesota. That followed senior members of the Trump administration facing widespread criticism for quickly portraying Pretti in a harsh light after his death. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Pretti’s actions were “the definition of domestic terrorism” while DHS adviser Stephen Miller described Pretti as a “would-be assassin” on the day of the shooting.
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However, videos showed Pretti did not reach for the gun he was legally carrying and was shot by federal agents after they removed it from him.
What To Know
Homan, when asked about the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents operating in Minnesota at a news conference on Thursday, replied, “There’s been some rotations. Another thing I witnessed when I came here, I’ll share this with you, I’ve met with a lot of people, a lot of agents. They’ve been in theater, some of these people have been in theater for eight months. So, there’s going to be rotations of personnel.”
Kelly responded on that language during an appearance MS Now's The Weekend on Saturday.
“We use that operationally in the military,” the senator said, referring to the "theater" terminology used by Homan. “He’s referring to Minneapolis as like a war zone, an area of conflict. It’s reprehensible that he’s referring to American cities and American citizens—just extend that to the next logical thing that’s in his head, that those people that live in Minneapolis are somehow the enemy. They’re not the enemy. They’re U.S. citizens.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Homan will manage ICE operations in Minnesota "to continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump wrote that Homan "has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there. Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me."
During Thursday's press conference, Homan called on people to tone down the "dangerous rhetoric" that he said was fueling attacks on ICE officers and leading to clashes in the streets. He said he has reached agreements with Democratic leaders in Minnesota that, if implemented, should lead to a winding down of federal immigration agents in the state.
Kelly's comments about Homan come after a high-profile fight between him and the Pentagon, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth censured the senator and moved to cut his Navy rank and pension over a video in which Kelly reminded troops they can refuse illegal orders. The Arizona Democrat filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that the Trump administration is retaliating against him for protected political speech.
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What People Are Saying
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X on Monday about Trump sending Homan to Minnesota: “This is good news for peace, safety, and accountability in Minneapolis. I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team— his experience and insight will help us in our wide-scale fraud investigations, which have robbed Americans, and will help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens off the of streets of Minneapolis.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in statement issued Wednesday: “Huge numbers of Minnesotans, especially in the Twin Cities, have lost all trust in the federal government’s ability to treat all states, cities, and individuals equally under the law. Operation Metro Surge is clearly about political retribution against a state that has never voted for Donald Trump and that has policies in opposition to his agenda."
Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said on Thursday on Newsmax: “Nobody can see those videos and say that that man was assaulting ICE agents...If we’re going to say that he was assaulting the police, I think that leads to more distrust of ICE.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Newsweek: "Illegal aliens that ICE is deporting broke our nation's laws. DHS is a law enforcement agency, and it will continue to carry out immigration enforcement for the safety of Americans who have been victimized by rapists, murderers, drug traffickers, and gang members.”
What Happens Next
Protest against ICE operations are expected to continue and intensify across the country.
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